TED Case Studies

Case 487: Russian Mail Order Brides

Identification

1. The Issue:

With the spread of the Internet and the collapse of the
Soviet Union, there is a new twist in the age-old marriage custom of the
mail-order bride. Increasingly, western men are turning to marriage agencies
or introduction services to find spouses from the former Soviet Union.
In an industry that was traditionally dominated by agencies in the Pacific
Rim, this new breed of Russian Internet marriage agencies is rapidly expanding
and overtaking the market. The author has found at least 200 different
agencies on the Internet that focus on Russia and other Soviet Republics.
The popularity of these companies is due to various factors that include
culture and economics. However, there is an element of risk for either
marriage partner undertaking these ventures. The bride is isolated in a
new foreign country, usually unable to speak the language, and often is
more vulnerable to abuse. The groom takes the risk that his new wife is
just using him for permanent residency status. The whole concept of mail-order
brides raises questions itself. Can two people fall in love enough to marry
without ever having met? This case proposes to examine this new player
in a very old industry, its impact on this market and the legalities involved.

The concept of arranged marriages is almost as old as the institute
of marriage itself. Various cultures around the world have at one time
or another advocated the arrangement of marriage between two individuals
through the medium of a match-maker or other third party. It is within
the last century that the "mail-order bride" became a part of the American
lexicon. Settlers were moving west, where traditionally men outnumbered
the women in the population. Men would correspond with marriage-minded
women "back East," become engaged and either marry their brides by proxy
or marry immediately upon the bride's arrival to her new home. It is within
the last twenty-five years that this practice revived, mainly in Asian
nations 1. It is with the collapse of the Soviet
Empire that a new market has opened up to Western men. There are many reasons
that Russian women are seeking husbands, and why Western men seem to desire
Russian wives.

Mother Russia

A Russian woman's lot in life is not the easiest. Brutal economic
conditions weigh down even the strongest of people. However, Russian women

are at a distinct disadvantage. To some they are treated as second-class
citizens and are the victims
out-moded patriarchal stereotypes. Even Russian feminists, those who are
supposed to be the champions of women and equality, can be seen describing
housework as unfitting for men.2 The ideal
Russian woman is described as possessing "gentleness, sensitivity, maternal
instincts and the capacity to love." 3 With
the Russian Revolution of 1917, one would think women's roles would change,
as Marx himself called for the integration of women into productive labor
in order to emancipate them.4 However, the main
factor that drew women into the workforce was the exceptionally low wages
paid by the state.5 There was no way a single
working parent could afford to provide a minimum living standard for a
family. Therefore both parents were forced to work in order to make ends meet.6
However, this did not change the status
of women. Even though 90% of women were employed, and made up 52% of the
national labor force,7 women still occupied
very low places of prominence in Russian life.

The New Soviet Woman

Soviet propagandists have always highlighted the fact that 80% of its teachers
and doctors are women.
8 Westerners are ignorant
of the fact that in Russia these jobs are among the least prestigious. As a former
teacher, the author earned 450,000 rubles a month in 1996 while a street sweeper
(another position dominated by women) earned almost 1 million rubles
a month. Employment and the government today still favors male workers
even though they might be less qualified or reliable.9
As a result, women earn only 43% of men's salaries.
10 Due to this favoritism, women are more likely to be laid off;
resulting in the fact that 75% of all unemployed in Russia are women.11
Russian women are forced to work full-time and then face the full-burden
of domestic work at home. 12 Is it any wonder
that Russian women see mail-order bride agencies as an opportunity to finally
have a better life? With an American husband, Russian women not only gain
the much-sought after goal of securing a husband but now also have the
added bonus of an improved life.

"Bring me a ring for I am longing
to be the envy of all I can see"

Another cause of the plethora of available Russian brides is that a
major part of Russian culture for women is marriage. From the earliest
times, marriage was seen as the most important point in a woman's life.13

copyright Valerie Chittenden 2000

My 11th grade class in 1996 Note how the girls outnumber the boys-
This is the norm rather than the exception.

Conventional
wisdom considers any women over the age of twenty-two an old maid.14
Russian women also face statistical barriers. There are 3,361,255 more
women than men aged 15-64. 15 Due to the deteriorating health system
and the high rate of heart disease, the average
life expectancy for men is 58 years while the life expectancy for women
is 71.16 As a result, women have been under
immense pressure to marry. Marriage and motherhood are major cornerstones
in Russian culture. With this in mind, the government has traditionally
supported this through special economic aid to couples, especially new
parents. Special economic aid has resulted in a decrease in the average
age of first marriages for women. Eighteen is now a normal age to marry.
As teacher of the 11th grade, the author was shocked to see how many young women
in my class were engaged at the age of 17 and planning their weddings after
graduation. Unlike other developing nations, this does not result in a
decrease in education. On the contrary, a large number of Russian women continue their education after
marriage. However the result is paradoxical - an educated woman married at 18, that
still maintains subordinate female gender roles.

"…find me a find, catch me a catch."

Russian women want something better. A large number of Russian
women prefer American men. "'Our [Russian] men treat women like objects…They
drink, they smoke, they have bad hygiene and care only about themselves.
These Americans don't smoke or drink. They really seem to want to settle
down and take care of their family.'"17 But
what about these "dream men"? What draws successful Western men towards
mail-order bride agencies? The majority of men who participate in these
services are white, educated, around 37 years old, and are ideologically
conservative.18 These men are tired of "career-obsessed"
women and see Russian women as less materialistic and more appreciative
of men.19 Many men are just frustrated by
the American dating scene. One potential groom describes his searches through
bars, clubs coffee-houses, laundry mats and grocery stores with no success.20Russian
women are seen as ideal over other nationalities as they "'have a European
face but the patience of an Asian.'"21 Russian
women are seen as more feminine and more traditional; while Russian women
see American men as more considerate, more ambitious, and less inclined
to drunkenness.22 Western men see Russian
women as more mature and usually more educated than their Asian counterparts.
23
From the author's own observations, Russian culture puts emphasis in women
looking feminine and well-groomed at all times. Is it any wonder then that
American men are attracted to the idea of finding an educated, good-looking
wife who will appreciate the simpler things in life?

The process for finding a mail-order bride can be relatively simple
and accessible but not inexpensive. According to some sources, there are
over 600 agencies on the internet that provide "introduction services"
or match-making for the former Soviet Union.24
One website, (www.rwguide.com) offers some
advice in choosing an agency. Its criteria include

That the agency should screen the criminal background of its ladies

That the operation have offices in either the US or Western Europe as well as
Russia

That it accepts credit cards

That offer support services and video offers be either free or at a nominal
fee

Some agencies will have up to 25,000 Russian women applying for their services
annually. 25 Each agency has its criteria
for choosing women. For the most part, they have to be at least 18 years
old26 and can range well up into middle age.
Once an agency has been selected, the prospective groom has several options
depending on the agency. Some agencies will post photographs of their ladies
or the groom can fill his "shopping cart" according to his specifications.
The groom then is charged for the address of the ladies and/or additional
services such as letter translation (since most brides do not speak English
well) or conference call interpreting starting around $5.75 per minute).
The addresses range in price from $10 for the first two (www.russiandream.com)
to $15 for two (www.womenfromrussia.com).
However, the best "value for your money" is the catalogue. For an annual
fee, such as $120 US (www.russiandream.com)
the groom can then receive the catalogue of complete brides and their information
either annually or quarterly. According to the some estimates, about 50,000
to 60,000 catalogues are sent out annually for Russian brides.27
Grooms will then begin to correspond or call the ladies of their choice
in order to learn more about them.

"The Love Boat soon will be making another run. The
Love Boat promises something for everyone. Set a course for adventure,
your mind on a new romance..."

The next step of the process is trying to meet one's prospective choices.
The majority agencies offer special "romance" or "love tours" to Russia.
For about $3000 -$5000, a hopeful man can expect

Upon arrival, the hopeful men will go to "social events." At these events, men can meet women

copyright Valerie Chittenden 2000

Innocent Toursists or Mail Order Bride and Groom?

in person, talk with them (usually through an interpreter),
and try to get to know them. However this is more challenging then
one would think since there are usually about 60 men and up to 1,000 women
at these socials.28 Both the grooms and the
brides find this stressful. Many women will spend a large portion of their
meager salary to travel to these socials, and on clothes for the "right
look" on the chance that one man might notice them out of hundreds. Grooms
have said that it is too hectic-trying to meet the perfect woman in 14
days or less.29 However, at least one meeting
is necessary to satisfy INS requirements for fiancee visas. Some men will
go to meet women they have already been corresponding with and others will
go to meet first and then begin correspondence. Both sides hope to meet
that special someone who will be a partner for life.

"Yente: Did you think you'd get a prince? Well I do
the best I can. With no money no dowry no family background, be glad you
got a man!"

So once the champagne has been drunk and the rice tossed out,
the newlyweds now must face the daunting task of building a marriage between two
virtual strangers. Cultural differences alone can be frustrating. In one
example, the new husband wanted his new bride to spend more time with his
mother and learn to cook American food as he did not like her Russian cooking.30
Most of these women speak very little English; making communication often difficult. Many
of these Russian women also bring children from previous relationships
into these marriages. On one hand, the new groom has an instant family.
On the other, he now has to deal with a child or children who have now
been uprooted from their country and also speak little English.

Caveat Emptor

Both parties are in extremely vulnerable situations. Russian women are
now in a new country initially at the mercy of their husbands. Lack of knowledge
of immigration and local law leaves these women vulnerable to domestic
abuse. In one case, the wife was told that her husband would beat her or
her child if she did not obey his orders.31 They
were told that if they tried to complain, he would have them deported.
Thanks to recent legislation, this is not the case.32(see
below) Additionaly, the new groom is also exposed to risk-both
financially and emotionally. At the end of the courtship, most men will
have paid for several addresses or annual subscriptions, translation and/or
interpreting services, a tour and then all the expenses for the wedding
and bringing their new spouse to the US. When the author posted a request for satisfied
grooms on a bulletin board (Planet
Love), I received one reply detailing this man's heartbreaking experience.
He had met his bride and brought her to the US to marry her. Thirteen days
after the marriage, there was a "family emergency" in Russia and his wife
had to rush home (along with $700 from her husband and his $1800 engagement
ring). She never returned, and every time he called the phone was hung
up on him. After eighteen months, she contacted him again and begged for
forgiveness. He took her back and they remained together for almost two
years (which is coincidentally the minimum amount of time you must remain
married to an American in order to remove the conditionality of your visa33
- INS)
when he returned home and found his wife gone. Another more sinister case
involves one Texan who is believed to have been murdered by his new Ukrainian
wife.34 She was called home for a family emergency
and he followed. There he died from "a fall" and his American children
suspect foul play. The case is still under investigation.

4. Draft Author:

Valerie J. Chittenden, April 2000

II.
Legal Clusters

"I Want to be in America..."Despite all of the potential for disaster, thousands still proceed
to look for and marry brides through mail-order bride agencies. You would think
that finding a bride would be the most difficult aspect. Instead, it would
appear that navigating the maze of INS regulations and procedure can often
be more daunting (In fact, some agencies offer their own legal counsel).
There are two methods of bringing a mail-order bride to the US. The
first is simply marrying her and then applying for a "Petition for an Alien
Relative"35. (
Please see this INS web site for more detailed information of the process
).
Your bride then has to apply for an Immigrant Visa as well. However this
is a conditional visa and the couple must remain together for at least
2 years before they can apply to have conditionality removed.36
The happy couple is then subject to whatever investigations the INS deems
appropriate. The other method and the one that allows the potential new
brides more freedom is the Fiance Visa. Under this regulation, the couple
must marry in the US. The husband must file a petition with the INS.37(Click
Here For Fiance Visa Info). The couple must have met in person at least
once in the last two years before filing. The bride and her children may
then travel to the US and has 90 days to marry. If the couple has not married
in 90 days, then the bride (and any children) must return to their home.
If she wishes to return to the US, she has to reapply for a completely
new visa. The Fiancee Visa gives the couple the freedom to cancel at the
last minute. If they decide they do not suit each other, then they can easily call
things off without having to resort to a potentially messy or damaging
divorce. This is not as unusual as it sounds. Some Russian brides have
arrived in the US and changed their minds after spending more time with
their fiance.38

5. Discourse
and Status: Agreemant and Complete

In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Responsibility Act. This was in response to a growing awareness
of the vulnerability of mail-order brides as demonstrated in 1995, when
a mail-order bride from the Philippines was shot to death by her abusive
husband in a Seattle courthouse39. Section
652 of this legislation specifically addresses the mail-order bride industry.
It addresses the fact that there are a large number of agencies active
in the US who seem to be generating "substantial profits."40
Despite well over 2,000 mail-order marriages a year, there is no information
on the amount of mail-order brides entering the US. The purpose of this
law is two-fold: to protect the safety of mail-order brides and to prevent
fraud. Most mail-order brides are ignorant of US immigration law and believe
that they must remain in abusive situations or else be deported. This is
not the case thanks to 1994 Violence Against Women Act. Under this law
passed in 1994, spouses of US citizens or their children have the right
to petition for permanent residency when they meet the following criteria:

Must be legally married to the US citizen or lawful permanent resident
batterer

Must reside in the United States.

Must have resided with the US citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse
in the United States.

Must have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty during the marriage,
or is the parent of a child who was battered or subjected to extreme cruelty
by the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse during the marriage.

Is required to be a person of good moral character.

Needs to demonstrate that removal from the United States would result in
extreme hardship to the self-petitioner or the self-petitioner's child.

Must have entered into the marriage in good faith, not solely for the purpose
of obtaining immigration benefits.

They can apply without their spouse's knowledge and the INS urges immediate
contact with the National Domestic Abuse Hotline (1-800-799-7233) for help.

Under this legislation, "each international matchmaking organization
doing business in the United States"41 must provide information, in
the prospective bride's native language of immigration and naturalization
information, including the battered spouse waiver, the penalties of marriage
fraud, and a warning of the unregulated nature of international matchmaking
organizations.42 The penalty for organizations
violating this regulation can be a fine up to $20,000.

Finally this legislation also required that the Attorney General and
the INS compile a report examining the number of mail-order bride marriage,
the extent of marriage fraud, the usage of the battered spouse waiver,
the extent of abuse in mail-order marriages and the need for expanded regulation.

Data for this industry is very
difficult to obtain especially when dealing with companies that operate
in different countries. The INS does not ask those applying for visas for
fiances or spouses how they met.43 This industry
is extremely unregulated. There are no central guidelines that determine
how a matchmaking agency functions. There is no legislation that I could
discover where agencies are obligated to publish the amount of “successful”
matches or divorces. Only when agencies violate US immigration law or federal
fraud legislation are they penalized. Marriage agencies that promote marriage
for immigration purposes are strictly prohibited. Marriage agencies are
obligated to provide immigration law information to their brides and the
INS has provided this information to its consuls abroad for dissemination.44
The Violence Against Women Act has given mail-order brides the ability
to flee abusive relationships without being deported. The report concludes
with the statement that more monitoring is required and that the INS continue
to gather data on mail-order marriages.

6. Forum and Scope:US-Russia and Bilateral

While international mail-order brides appeal to men everywhere, the vast
majority of mail-order birde agencies seem to gear their markets towards the US. The
internet sites are primarily in English and offer assistance with the INS and
visa processing. In fact, the mail-order bride industry has drastically
increased with the advent of the Internet. With the revolution of the Information
Age, time has shrunk. Previously, this industry was completely at the mercy
of mail order and the limitations of the postal system. Customers had to
wait for their catalogues to arrive in the mail, then wait for responses
to letters and photographs. Teleconferencing with interpreters
helps break down the language barrier. With the click of a mouse, a customer
can view biographies and photos of brides, make their choices, add them
to their shopping cart and pay via credit card. They can begin to correspond
or call the woman of their choice immediately. Potential grooms can exchange
videos with their brides. It is no longer cost prohibitive to visit Russia
and meet their bride in person (all of this can of course be arranged through
most of these agencies). The accessibility of the Internet has directly
contributed to the spread of these agencies, and while they may target
their products for US men, there is no restriction on anyone with a computer
and basic knowledge of English from accessing these sights.

7. Decision Breadth: 2

8. Legal Standing: LAW

At the moment, the only country that has legislation against mail-order
brides is the Philippines where the mail-order bride industry has been
outlawed.45 This was due to the extremely
active sex-trade and trafficking of women. The only US legislation is the
US Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act described
above ( see above). At this juncture, the Department
of Justice and the INS advocate further study and research of the industry.
There are no regulations restricting the operation of mail-order bride agencies in the US, as
long as agencies:

Abide by the Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act,

Are not committing fraud

Are not involved in alien smuggling

Are not involved in the importation of aliens for immoral purposes

Are not establishing a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading
immigration laws

Are not involved with involuntary servitude

Are not involved in transporting people in interstate or foreign commerce
or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution (INS
report)

Another area agencies must be careful in is when they offer visa assistance. According
to INS regulations, a visa consultant or any other person who is not a
licensed attorney may only assist someone with completing INS forms and
applications for a nominal fee and cannot state that they are qualified
expert in immigration laws.46 There are no
other restrictions, regulations or quality control measures in place at
this date.

III. Geographic
Clusters

9. Geographic Locations

a. Geographic Domain: Europe

b. Geographic Site: East Europe

c. Geographic Impact: US

10. Sub-National Factors: No

11. Type of Habitat: Cool

IV. Trade
Clusters

12. Type of Measure: Import Standard

As stated previously, there is very little data available on the number
of Russian mail-order bride marriages that occur annually or how many of
them last. The INS estimates that 2,000 to 5,000 mail order marriages occur
annually.46 According to my calculations,
that is an average of 3500 marriages a year. For 1997, 21% of all immigrants
were spouses of US citizens. A substantial majority of these immigrants
were women. Since there is little official data available, the INS, using
the figure of 2000-5000 marriages a year, calculates that 1.5% to 2.7%
of the 132,000 female spouses entering the US are mail-order brides.
47

The biggest trend in the mail-order bride market has been the explosion
of agencies that provide introductions to women in the former Soviet Union.
According to the INS report, 51% of mail order agencies in 1998 were for
women in the former Soviet Union. The INS performed a small survey on mail-order
brides and found that of that group, 46% were from the former USSR. Therefore
Soviet mail-order brides are appear to be dominating this industry.

13. Direct v. Indirect Impacts: Direct

14. Relation of Trade Measure to Environmental Impact

a. Directly Related to Product: Yes, Brides

b. Indirectly Related to Product: No

c. Not Related to Product: No

Related to Process: Yes, Rights

The concept of the mail-order bride raises a holw host of issues regarding the definitions
of love, marriage, modern femininity, women's rights and economics. Can two strangers really fall in
love and make a lasting commitment based on correspondence and a few meetings- especially when all of this
occurs through the medium of an interpreter? Romantic literature would say yes iterature would say yes
especially with the medieval tradition of courtly love from afar. How viable
is a marriage when one of the partner’s main desires is to flee poverty?
Are American men just lonely or are these men looking for someone to dominate
and assume conventional female roles? Is there something really wrong with
American women? Are Russian women sincerely looking for love or for a provider
to support them and their children- a provider that they will cause lasting
emotional harm when they desert them as soon as INS regulations allow?
Both parties leave themselves extremely vulnerable in this process. Yes,
there are happy endings and glowing testimonials; but there are also the
battered wives and abandoned men. Is the mail-order bride industry just
exploiting the hopes and dreams of lonely people, or are they honestly concerned
with compatibility and bringing two people together? The human heart can
be fragile. It is difficult to reconcile abstract concepts such as desire
for love and happiness with a monetary amount that can be set arbitrarily
by agencies.

15. Trade Product Identification: Bride

16. Economic Data

There are over 600 Russian mail-order bride agencies operating on the Internet.
The main sources of revenue for mail-order bride agencies are the subscriptions,
support services (translation, teleconferencing, legal support, etc.) and
the tours. Again, there is very little information available as to how much
agencies net for these services. With hundreds of agencies and tours costing
from $3000 to $5000 US, one would think that the profits would be substantial.

With the lack of regulation for mail-order bride agencies, there is
little financial data available on the success of various agencies. However
by looking at various agencies and using the INS data, I have performed
some preliminary calculations. The most popular and supposedly cost-efficient
method of finding ones spouse is to pay the annual subscription that allows
the subscriber access to the agency’s entire catalogue of photos and addresses
of prospective brides. The groom then corresponds with the women of his
choice (usually through an interpreter, which incurs additional fees).
The hopeful groom will then usually take part in a “Romance Tour” to either
meet the woman of his choice or meet other prospective brides. In order
to obtain a Fiancee Visa from the INS, the couple has to have met in person
at least once in two years. This Romance Tour can meet that criteria.48

The author made these calculations using information available. Again
this does not include the costs for the bride’s airfare to the US, the
cost of the wedding or translation costs. The amount this industry earns
is not known persently but must be substantial juding by the success of
these agencies.

17. Impact of Trade Restriction: High

In theory, legislation can end this industry by banning mail-order agencies
all together as in the case of the Philippines. However this might not
be effective. In the US there are thousands of dating services or agencies
dedicated to just introducing people to each other (no mention is necessarily
made of marriage). Existing agencies could alter their format and just
market themselves as pen-pal clubs (which many of them already do) or dating
services. Despite changes, there is little chance that ingrained Russian
cultural ideas concerning the roles of women and marriage will change quickly.
Russian women will still want husbands and American men will still want
wives. The INS cannot discriminate how a couple meets – it can only look
for fraud or abuse. However it and the federal government can make it cost
prohibitive to marry a mail-order bride and cause a decrease in the industry.

18. Industry Sector:Services

19. Exporters and Importers:Russia and USA

These sights offered very detailed descriptions of their services and costs,
and offered advice:

V. Environment Clusters

20. Environmental Problem Type: Rights

21. Name, Type, and Diversity of Species

22. Resource Impact and Effect: Structure and Low

23. Urgency and Lifetime: medium and 70 years

24. Substitutes:

Yes, there are alternative substitutes to mail-order bride agencies. Men
and women can look for spouses in their respective countries through conventional
means. Through the internet, men and women from different nations can correspond
through chat rooms, bulletin boards and newsgroups. If they still feel
the need to have someone help them, friends, family and the time-honored
community yente are usually more than happy to arrange introductions without
monetary compensation.

VI. Other Factors

25. Culture: Yes

See above. Russian culture puts a great deal
of emphasis on the role of marriage. Women are expected to marry and marry
young. A Russian woman is seen as an old-maid and a spinster if she is not married
by twenty-five.

26. Trans-Boundary Issues: No

27. Rights: Yes

As stated previously, the potential bride and groom are vulnerable in this
process. Yes there are cases that end happily. However the bride is vulnerable
to abuse when arriving in her new country and while dependent on her new
husband. The groom is vulnerable to financial ruin and emotional trauma
if his bride abandons him or sues him for divorce. There are no guidelines
governing the behavior of agencies or compensation for unsatisfied customers.

10 Donna M. Hughes, "Commercial
Use of the Internet for Sexual Exploitation,"Pimps and Predators on
the Internet-Globalizing the Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children,
Part 8 of 16, [database on line], (Coalition Against the Trafficking
in Women, March 1999), Internet, available at http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/catw/ppcpt1.htm,
accessed February 22, 2000.